Michael Hussey Retires, Tony Greig Passes

Cricket loses two influential figures.

December 29th, 2012Robert White

The cricket world received sad news Saturday when former England captain and renowned commentator Tony Greig passed away at age 66. The same day brought news ‘Mr Cricket’ himself, Michael Hussey, was retiring from the sport.

Greig, who had been battling lung cancer, suffered a heart attack. He returned to his home in Sydney after the Twenty20 World Cup earlier this year to be diagnosed with cancer.

As an opponent playing for England, Greig often irritated Australian crowds. He played 58 Tests, averaging 40.43 runs and took 141 wickets. Since joining Channel Nine’s commentating team in the 1980s, Greig has become one of the most respected voices in the cricketing world. He will be sadly missed.

Australian batsman Mike Hussey also made headlines on Saturday by announcing his decision to retire from Test cricket, although he will continue playing One Day Internationals. The upcoming Sydney Test will be his final in the Australian whites.

"It's one thing about playing for Australia – there's always a lot of stress and pressure to perform," Hussey said.

"But I feel like I'm coming into this last Test match with no pressure whatsoever. I can really go out there and enjoy it.

"It will be nice to be able to sit back when it's all finished and really reminisce over some fantastic memories and some great wins for Australia."

The 37-year-old will be playing his 79th Test in Sydney and leaves the game as one of the more consistent, cricket-obsessed figures in contemporary history. Hussey has thus far produced 19 centuries and 29 fifties at Test level for an average of 51.